United Arab Emirates (UAE) opens Consulate in Trivandrum

Trivandrum: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has opened its Consulate General office in Thiruvananthapuram. The Consulate in the capital city which is the third diplomatic mission of UAE in India was inaugurated by Kerala Governor, Justice P Sathasivam.

In his address, the Governor said, “Besides Kerala, the functioning of the Consulate would benefit other South Indian States as well. A larger proportion of skilled workforce from Kerala is now securing employment in the Gulf countries compared to the situation a few decades back, when the majority were unskilled workers. The Consulate should tap the potential of the State in the tourism and education sectors.”

In his keynote address, Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, said, “The opening of the Consulate would go a long way in strengthening the time-tested bilateral relations between India and the UAE which was second home to thousands of Malayalies. I hope the Consulate would help address the problems of workers from Kerala in the UAE and also play a key role in tapping the State’s IT potential.”

Dr. Shashi Tharoor MP, who was instrumental in bringing this Consulate to Kerala in his former role as the Minister of State for External Affairs, said, “Though around 70% of the Indians in the UAE were from Kerala, people from here had to go to Mumbai or Delhi to get their visas cleared. This situation is set to change with the opening of the UAE’s Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram which is the fulfilment of a long time promise.”

The opening of the Consulate General of UAE at Manacaud will speed up the issuance of visa and other documents apart from strengthening trade relations and cultural exchange. It will also expedite job related documentation for aspiring job seekers to the UAE. The Consulate will facilitate attestation and visa processing for 700 persons in a day.